The New Adventures of Already Running TV Shows

I spent my Sunday cleaning and watching at two to four episodes of shows I’ve never really given a chance to before. Here’s my initial, by no means my final, impressions:

• Project Runway – New season, new channel, same old show. For the longest time, I’ve not liked the pace of Runway but I just happened onto the first episode and was somehow immediately hooked. I don’t know anyone’s names yet but the guy who sent the model down the runway in a 100% sheer dress should be thanking the Heidi Klum gods that he wasn’t “outed” for that. Wow. Some pretty dresses in the first two episodes but honestly, what pregnant woman would want to look like she has a big egg on her belly?
• Dollhouse – I’ll save most of this for another post devoted  to this Joss Whedon show. I got the first season on DVD (I love gift cards) and I’ve watched the first 4 episodes. I like it a lot more than I did last winter – though I only ever watched the first two when they aired – and am very excited to watch the rest of it. I already know some things I shouldn’t but that has never bothered me much. Definitely looking forward to the new season.
• Mad Men – Okay. I have not seen much of any of the first two seasons of the show. I watched the first episode of Season 3 and found it incredibly boring. Why I even came back to it last night I don’t know but I watched the second and third episodes back to back and very much enjoyed both of them. I’m not going to spoil it for those that didn’t watch last night’s episode. If I am going to watch Mad Men though, I must DVR it and watch it on Mondays. I was so wired after watching two hours of it last night that I didn’t fall asleep until midnight and was up again at 4. Hard to do that on Sunday night.

And Laura, you are going to hate me for this but I think Jon Hamm looks a tiny bit like an older John Krasinski. That could be because I’ve been in Office land for the past couple weeks so maybe everyone looks like J Kras right now. 🙂 I am starting to dig Hamm’s character a bit more though.

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Must See TV: My 2009 Fall TV Schedule

After taking a few minutes to study the fall TV schedule on the various networks, I’ve come to a few conclusions. 1. Thursday night is a very busy night of television with shows on 4 networks that I wouldn’t mind checking out. 2. Monday nights continue to suck, with the exception of HIMYM and 3. I’m going to be watching way too much television this fall.

Here is my line up, complete with premiere dates:

Monday

Definitely watching: How I Met Your Mother (CBS: Sept. 21), Monday Night Football (ESPN) depending on game.

Might Check Out: Castle (ABC: Sept. 21), Big Bang Theory (CBS: Sept. 21)

Tuesday

Definitely watching: Biggest Loser (NBC: Sept 15)

Might Check Out: What’s happening in the rest of world, nothing else on

Wednesday

Definitely watching: Glee (FOX: Sept 9)

Might Check Out: Modern Family and Cougar Town (ABC: Sept 23), Eastwick (ABC: Sept 23) – All new shows that look semi-promising. Depends on reviews and the first couple episodes.

Thursday

Definitely watching: Bones (FOX: Sept 17), Weekend Update/Parks & Recreations (NBC: Sept 17), The Office!!! (NBC: Sept 17), 30 Rock (NBC: Oct), Flash Forward (ABC: Sept. 24)

Might Check Out: Vampire Diaries (CW: Sept 10), Community (NBC: Sept 17) – I don’t like Chevy Chase that much.

Friday

Definitely checking out: Dollhouse (FOX: Sept 25)

Definitely catching up: on the Thursday night shows I missed.

Sunday

Football!!!

Trying to start watching: Mad Men (AMC: Sundays at 10) – I’m trying…

Not On the List Yet:

• V – starring Lost’s Elizabeth Mitchell (ABC: Nov)
• Lost (ABC: Jan 2010)

And Don’t Forget About:

• The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report, both of which I usually watch at 8pm on the following night.

Oh and of course!

• The Jay Leno Show – I mean watching paint dry which would be more entertaining than watching that guy 5 nights a week.

Cream of the Crop:

Most anticipated returning show: The Office

Most anticipated new show: Flash Forward: Joseph Fiennes, Dominic Monaghan, the chick who plays Penny on Lost and a science fiction storyline? I’m there.

Show I have high hopes for but am worried about: Glee – We all know FOX sucks

–

Seriously, this is going to be difficult. So many of these shows I won’t stick with but my goodness! My DVR only records two shows at a time. Thank God for online streaming.

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“I don’t need a life that’s normal”

Some thoughts for this cool, lovely Friday:

• I’ve been neglecting my blog a bit but that is because I’ve become semi-obsessed with Facebook. I’ve gone over to the dark side. If I start using Twitter, you guys have to stage an intervention for me.
• I’ve also been a bit quiet on here this week because we’ve had a bit of a family emergency. Everyone is okay now. In fact, the person in question is back to his normal, persnickety self for better or worse.
• Second day in a row that Dunkin Donuts has screwed up my coffee. I should start a tally or something. How long will it be before I just switch over to Starbucks? I’ve already switched over to Facebook, can it be that far behind?
• Exciting weekend ahead: seeing Inglourious Basterds tonight, DVR’ing the 3rd preseason game for the Patriots tonight (Brady should play into the 3rd quarter), seeing some musician tomorrow (I suppose I should look up his info ahead of time) in Inman Square which is a very unlike-me thing to be doing and we’re supposed to get a tropical storm/hurricane tomorrow. Yay!
• For those of you who enjoy both Spring Awakening and Lost ( I think Alyssa might be the only one besides myself), go to YouTube and search for “Extended Run Spring Awakening”. This is a video series the touring cast has done. Part 4 is a very Lost centric story and it’s hilarious.
• I’ve done a lot of soul-searching the past couple days and have come to a realization. If I wasn’t related to some of my relatives (parents, stepmoms and stepmom’s cousin in Vermont excluded), I probably wouldn’t like them much, to put it mildly.
• Is it bad that I’ve paid pretty much zero attention to Senator Kennedy’s death in the news? Sure it was sad but I’m glad he’s not suffering anymore. Beyond that, I don’t really feel the need to follow this.
• I don’t think the Red Sox are going to make the playoffs. They are 1.5 games ahead of the Rangers with about a month to go. And because I said that, they probably will end up winning the World Series again.
• The new TV season is just around the corner. So many things to look forward to but I’d probably place The Office on top. Stay tuned for what my TV/DVR schedule this fall is going to look like. Social interactions? No time.
• August is almost over and I am definitely ready to have it be gone and forgotten. Apart from a very fun weekend in New York with Laura and Alyssa, this month has been nothing but stress, bugs and gross, sticky weather. Here’s hoping September is better.

To end on a high note, about a month or so ago, Dad and Madelene in Virginia took in a stray dog that was literally nothing but skin and bones. They nursed her back to health and have added her to our family. Her name is Princess and from the ongoing reports I’ve gotten, she’s the sweetest dog to ever live. Here are a few pictures. Isn’t she adorable? I can’t wait to meet her in November.

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I Will Absolutely Watch This Now!!!

Spoiler Alert! This is concerning certain casting news about Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse. In white to protect those of you who don’t want to know…but seriously, you want to know!

Alexis Denisof is going to be on Dollhouse!!!!!!!

Gah! I guess I need to watch Season One now to get ready.

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“A box of Captain Crunch will taste so good”

This seems to be the year in which I constantly battle with exercising and eating more healthy. In years past, that New Year’s resolution that everyone makes has, for me, usually ended by about April. This year, every time I fall off the exercise horse, I’ve tried to climb right back on. And here I am yet again attempting to do so.

June was a bad month, July then got better and then my work became very busy and extremely stressful at the beginning of August. Common sense says that a way to combat that stress would be to work out and eat healthier thus giving me more energy and all that to get through the day. Except that’s not how I work. When things get stressful, the absolute last thing I want to do is exercise, closely followed by spending time to think about what I eat. This past week was a real bad one, culminating in an atrociously bad for you lunch at Wendy’s on Thursday.

Now that I have a bit more breathing room, I need to get started with this again cause I feel like crap. The exercise I can get back into because I actually enjoy that but the food thing is so difficult, especially at lunch. Right now, all I want is a big burrito and a Diet Coke. I had a Lean Cuisine Ravioli and some water. So not the same and so not satisfying…enough.

Blah, why can’t this be easier? 🙂

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“Limitless paper in a paperless world” – “The Office” Re-watch.

To unwind from my hectic office the last week or so, I’ve been re-watching The Office. Honestly, I had forgotten just how much I love this show. I’ve been bouncing between seasons, watching commentaries I never had before as well as deleted scenes. I’ve been going through Jim/Pam phases and Michael/Dwight phases and pretty much everything in between. I think I’ve now hit just about every episode of the 4 season currently out on DVD. Needless to say this has gotten me very excited for a) the Season 5 DVD which comes out September 8th (which I’ll be purchasing for free!) and b) the start of Season 6 which promises so far to be heavy early on with the PB&J.

Anyway, since I’ve been living in Dunder Mifflin land,  I thought I’d count down my top 10 favorite episodes of The Office, seasons 1-4. I promise it won’t all be Jim and Pam centric..sort of. 🙂 Favorite episode quotes included, thanks to OfficeQuotes.net.

10. “Traveling Salesmen” Season 3

• Andy:  “Oompa-Loompa Doompity-Dawesome, Dwight is now gone which is totally awesome. Why was he gone, he was such a nice guy? No, he was not. He was a total douche. Doompity-doomp.”

9. “Diversity Day” Season 1

• Jim: “Uh… Not a bad day.”
• Pam: “OK. If I have to do this, based on stereotypes that are totally untrue, that I do not agree with, you would maybe not be a very good driver.” Dwight: “Oh, man, am I a woman? “

8. “Goodbye Toby” Season 4

• Jim: [on phone, leaving a message] “Hey, Ryan, it’s Jim. Look man, I don’t know what’s gotten into you lately, but you know what? I really don’t care, because you’re trying to get rid of me. And I bet you don’t think I care enough about this job to actually fight back, but you’re wrong, because I do, and I will. So you can keep trying to push me out of this place, but guess what? I’m not going anywhere.”
• Michael: “Holly is sweet and simple, like a lady baker. I would not be surprised to find out that she had worked in a bakery before coming here. She has that kind of warmth. I’m pretty sure she’s baked on a professional level.”
• Holly: “Oh, it was a pretty good company, but I just couldn’t see a future there. They kept hiring from the outside. It was easy to get in but impossible to rise up.”
  Michael: “That’s what she… a lot of places are like that.”

7. “Money” Season 4

• Dwight: “Here we are, the Irrigation Room! A very special room. So I’ll come get you before the table-making demonstration. And as of this morning, we are completely wireless here in Schrute Farms. But as soon as I find out where Mose hid all the wires, we’ll get that power back on. All righty.”
• Michael: “And the best way to start is to hit start. And up comes the toolbar, that’s what she said. What we have to do here is go to Run, and then you look up to PowerPoint. And we are in. We are going to register. You hit register— Updates are ready. I should update. Um, estimated time 12 minutes, so this should take 5 or 10 minutes.”
• Dwight: Uhh-mmm [moaning]
  Jim: Did I ever tell you why I left Scranton?
  Dwight: [incoherent mumbling] No you didn’t.
  Jim: Yeah, I didn’t think I had. Well, it was all about Pam.
  Dwight: Mmm-uh-mm [incoherent mumbling]
  Jim: Yeah, I mean she was with Roy, and, uh, I just couldn’t take it. I mean, I lost it Dwight. I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t concentrate on anything. Even weird stuff, like food had no taste. So my solution was to move away. It was awful. It was something that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy, and that includes you.
  Dwight: [sobbing, reaches out to Jim after he walked away]
• Jim: Yep, I’m very passionate about Italian food. In fact, um, I’m in love with Italian food.

6. “Casino Night” Season 2

• Michael: Oh, and another fun thing. We, at the end of the night, are going to give the check to an actual group of Boy Scouts. Right, Toby? We’re gonna…
  Toby: Actually, I didn’t think it was appropriate to invite children since it’s… You know, there’s gambling and alcohol, and it’s in our dangerous warehouse and it’s a school night… And, you know, Hooters is catering. You know, is that enough? Should I keep going?
  Michael: Why are you the way that you are? Honestly, every time I try to do something fun or exciting, you make it not… that way. I hate so much about the things that you choose to be. Okay, you know what? I will not donate my winnings to Comic Relief, since apparently it doesn’t exist. I am going to donate to Afghanistanis with AIDS.
  Jim: I think you mean the aid to Afghanistan.
  Michael: No, I mean Afghanistanis with AIDS.
  Phyllis: Afghani.
  Michael: What?
  Phyllis: Afghani.
  Michael: That’s a dog.
  Pam: No, that’s Afghan.
  Michael: That’s a shawl.
  Dwight: Wait, canine AIDS?
  Michael: No. Humans with AIDS.
  Creed: Who has AIDS?
  Jim: Guys, the Afghanistananies.
  Michael: Okay, you know what? No. No. AIDS is not funny. Believe me, I have tried.
• Bob: Excuse me. Big moment. The evening’s chip leader and winner of this beautiful mini-refrigerator courtesy of Vance Refrigeration, Creed Bratton, Dunder Mifflin!
  Creed: Thanks. I never owned a refrigerator.
• Jim: Hey, how’s it going?
  Pam: Good, especially after I took all your money in poker.
  Jim: Yeah. Hey, can I talk to you about something?
  Pam: About when you want to give me more of your money?
  Jim: No, I…
  Pam: Did you wanna do that now? We can go inside. I’m feeling kind of good tonight.
  Jim: I was just… I’m in love with you.
  Pam: What?
  Jim: I’m really sorry if that’s weird for you to hear, but I needed you to hear it. Probably not good timing, I know that. I just…
  Pam: What are you doing? What do you expect me to say to that?
  Jim: I just needed you to know. Once.
  Pam: Well, I um… I… I can’t.
  Jim: Yeah.
  Pam: You have no idea…
  Jim: Don’t do that.
  Pam: …what your friendship means to me.
  Jim: Come on. I don’t wanna do that. I wanna be more than that.
  Pam: I can’t. I’m really sorry if you misinterpreted things. It’s probably my fault.
  Jim: Not your fault. I’m sorry I misinterpreted our friendship.

5. “Booze Cruise” Season 2

• Michael: Leader… ship. The word “ship” is hidden inside the word “leadership,” as its derivation. So if this office is, in fact, a ship, as its leader, I am the captain. But we’re all in the same boat. Teamwork!
• Michael: Sometimes you have to take a break from being the kind of boss that’s always trying to teach people things. Sometimes you have to just be the boss of dancing.
• Jim: You know what? I would save the receptionist. I just wanted to clear that up.
• Jim: That’s… great. You know, to tell the truth, I used to have a big thing for Pam, so…
  Michael: Really? You’re kidding me. You and Pam? Wow. I would have never have put you two together. You really hid it well. God! I usually have a radar for stuff like that. You know, I made out with Jan…
  Jim: Yeah, I know.
  Michael: Yeah? Yep. Well, Pam is cute.
  Jim: Yeah. She’s really funny, and she’s warm. And she’s just… well, anyway.
  Michael: Well, if you like her so much, don’t give up.
  Jim: She’s engaged.
  Michael: BFD. Engaged ain’t married.
  Jim: Huh.
  Michael: Never, ever, ever give up.

4. “Office Olympics” Season 2

• Not so much a quote as the last scene. Makes me tear up each time I watch it, with Michael getting his “gold medal” and taking it so much to heart that his coworkers are congratulating him on his new apartment. Lots of good Jim stuff too. Finally, the games for the Olympics look like a lot of fun and I would love it if my office did that. We always play when the boss is away. Plus Nancy Walls makes her first guest appearance and I just adore her.

3. “Diwali” Season 3

• Michael: Tonight, one of our most ethnic co-workers, Kelly, has invited us all to a Diwali celebration put on by her community. What is Diwali, you may ask? Well, to have Kelly explain it [girly voice] it’s ada blah blah blah, it’s so super fun and it’s going to be great. [normal voice] Lot of gods with unpronounceable names. Twenty minutes later you find out that is essentially a Hindu Halloween.
• Jim: I started biking into work. Josh does it and he lives a lot farther away than I do. And also it saves gas money, keeps me in shape… helps the environment. And now I know it makes me really sweaty for work. (Very similar to my real life boss!)
• Michael: This is going out to Indians everywhere. It’s a tribute to one of the greats… Mr. Adam Sandler. [sings] Diwali is a festival of lights. Let me tell you something. Tonight has been one crazy night. So put on your saris, it’s time to celebrate Diwali. Everybody looks so jolly. But it’s not Christmas, it’s Diwali. The goddess of destruction Kali stopped by to celebrate Diwali. Don’t invite any zombies to a celebration of Diwali. Along came Polly to have some fun at Diwali. If you’re Indian and you love to party, have a happy, happy, happy, happy Diwali. Happy Diwali!

2. “Beach Games” Season 3

• Michael: I want today to be a beautiful memory… that the staff and I share after I have passed on to New York. And if Toby is a part of it… then it’ll suck.
• Michael: Jim Halpert. Pros: smart, cool, good-looking. Remind you of anybody you know? Cons: not a hard worker. I can spend all day on a project, and he will finish the same project in a half an hour. So that should tell you something.
• Oscar: If either of these guys are put in charge of the office I will transfer to Albany. Gil can come if he wants. I’m kinda looking for a way out of that relationship anyway. I think I might try girls for a while. Angela thinks I can cross over. We’ll see.
• Andy falling into the water in the sumo wrestler costume is just about the funniest thing ever.
• Michael: Oh, I love that movie. Yes, Kelly is right, the person to replace me has to have a great sense of humor and they have to possess the leadership qualities of a Bynes or a Hope.
• Pam: [runs over after walking over fire coals] Hey! I want to say something. I’ve been trying to be more honest lately and I just need to say a few things. I did the coal walk! Just, I did it! Michael, you couldn’t even do that. Maybe I should be your boss? Wow, I feel really good right now. Why didn’t any of you come to my art show? I invited all of you. That really sucked. It’s like sometimes some of you act like I don’t even exist. [turns and looks directly at Jim] Jim, I called off my wedding because of you. And now we’re not even friends. And things are just like weird between us, and that sucks. And I miss you. You were my best friend before you went to Stamford, and I really miss you. I shouldn’t have been with Roy. And there were a lot of reasons to call off my wedding. But the truth is, I didn’t care about any of those reasons until I met you. And now you’re with someone else. And that’s… fine. It’s… whatever. That’s not what… I’m not… Okay, my feet really hurt. The thing that I’m just trying to say to you, Jim… and to everyone else in this circle I guess, is that I miss having fun with you. Just you, not everyone in the circle. Okay, I am going to go walk in the water now. Yeah. It’s a good day.

1. “Business School” Season 3 (I can’t limit this one to just  few)

• Michael: A boss is like a teacher. And I am like the cool teacher. Like Mr. Handell. Mr. Handell would hang out with us, and he would tell us awesome jokes. And he actually hooked up with one of the students. Um… and then like twelve other kids came forward. It was in all the papers. … Really ruined eighth grade for us.
• Dwight: Whenever I’m about to do something, I think, “Would an idiot do that?” And if they would, I do not do that thing.
• Dwight: We have… a bat… in the office.
  Toby: The simple solution would be to open a window… if we had… windows that could open.

  Angela: Poop is raining from the ceilings. Poop!

• Dwight: If a vampire bat was in the U.S., it would make sense for it to come to a “sylvania.” Like PENN-sylvania. Now that doesn’t mean that Jim is going to become a vampire. Only that he carries the vampiric germ.
• Dwight: I don’t have a lot of experience with vampires, but I have hunted werewolves. I shot one once. But by the time I got to it, it had turned back into my neighbor’s dog.
• Dwight: Do you have the tools to turn a wooden mop handle into a stake?
  Creed: What size?
• Ryan: …It wasn’t personal.
  Michael: Business is always personal. It’s the most personal thing in the world.
• Jim: Cool. Okay. I’m gonna go home and lie down, draw the shades… there’s just so much sun in here… bye Dwight.
  Dwight: Goodbye Jim. And good luck.
  Dwight: Jim is on a path now. An eternal journey, and I wish him well.
• Roy: Your art.. was the prettiest art of… all art.
• Michael: A good manager doesn’t fire people. He hires people and inspires people. … People, Ryan. And people will never go out of business.

This next quote is the reason why “Business School” is number 1 on my list. Gets me a bit choked up every time.

• Michael: Pam-casso! Sorry I’m late, I had to race across town.
  Pam: Oh, Michael.
  Michael: Wow! You did these… freehand?
  Pam: Yep.
  Michael: My God, these could be tracings! Ohh! Look at this one. Wow! You nailed it. [sighs] … How much?
  Pam: What do you mean?
  Michael: I don’t see a… price.
  Pam: Um… you wanna buy it?
  Michael: Well, yeah. Yeah, we have to have it for the office. I mean, there’s my… window, and there’s my car! That your car?
  Pam: Uh-huh.
  Michael: That is our building… and we sell paper. … I am really proud of you.
  Pam: [hugs Michael] … Thank you.
  Michael: What?
  Pam: Do you have something in your pocket?
  Michael: …Chunky. Do you want half?
  Pam: No thank you.
  Michael: Okay.
• Michael: It is… a message. It is an inspiration, it is… a source of beauty. And without paper, it could not have happened. Unless, you had a camera.

Wow, that is incredibly hard to do. Lots left out. I also love “Local Ad” (Season 4), “The Job” (Season 3), “The Secret (Season 2) and “Basketball Game” (Season 1) plus loads more. Also, in doing this I realized that of all the seasons, I enjoy Season 3 the most which is weird because I’m such a huge JAM fan and they are barely even talking that season. I think I enjoy Pam’s liberation in that season, I find it rewarding to watch.

Anyway, there’s my list. It will most certainly change as these things tend to do. 🙂

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Can’t wait!

Not really a spoiler, just a picture from the first episode of the new season of How I Met Your Mother:

Can we just linger on the hotness that is Jason Segel? Love the short hair!

Alyson Hannigan’s hair looks awesome too. Are those highlights?

Couple more weeks…

More pictures here: How I Met Your Mother Season Premiere

:::gasp!!::: Semi-spoiler about the 3rd episode (100th episode) in white: Musical!!!!!!!

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